Demographics of Saudi Arabia
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Saudi Arabia's July 2006 population is estimated to be over 27 million; including about 5.5 million resident foreigners. Until the 1960s, most of the population was nomadic or seminomadic; due to rapid economic and urban growth, more than 95% of the population now is settled. Some cities and oases have densities of more than 1,000 people per square kilometer (2,600/mile²). Saudi Arabia's population is characterized by rapid growth and a large cohort of youths.
Saudi Arabia is known as the birthplace of Islam, which in the century following Muhammad's death in 632, conquered territory west up to Spain and east up to India. Islam obliges all Muslims to make the Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, at least once during their lifetime if they are able to do so. The cultural environment in Saudi Arabia is highly conservative; the country adheres to a strict interpretation of Islamic religious law (Shari'a). Cultural presentations must conform to narrowly defined standards of ethics. Men and women are not permitted to attend public events together and are segregated in the work place.
Most Saudis are ethnically Arab. Some are of mixed ethnic origin and are descended from Turks, Iranians, Indonesians, Indians, Africans, and others, most of whom immigrated as pilgrims and reside in the Hijaz region along the Red Sea coast. Many Arabs from nearby countries are employed in the kingdom. There also are significant numbers of Asian expatriates mostly from India, Pakistan, Afghans, Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Philippines.[citation needed] In the 1970s and 1980s, there was also a significant community of South Korean migrant labourers, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, but most have since returned home; the South Korean government's statistics showed only 1,200 of their nationals living in the kingdom as of 2005.[1][2] There are fewer than 100,000 Westerners in Saudi Arabia, most of who live in private compounds in few cities such as Dhahran and Ras Tanura. The government prohibits non-Muslims from living in Mecca and Medinah.
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[edit] Population
28,601,038
note: includes 5,576,076 non-nationals (July 2007 est.)[3]
[edit] Age structure
0-14 years: 38.2% (male 5,149,960/female 4,952,138)
15-64 years: 59.4% (male 8,992,348/female 6,698,633)
65 years and over: 2.4% (male 334,694/female 289,826) (2007 est.)
[edit] Median age
total: 21.4 years male: 22.9 years female: 19.6 years (2007)
[edit] Population growth rate
2.06% (2007 est.)
[edit] Birth rate
29.1 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
[edit] Death rate
2.55 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
[edit] Net migration rate
-5.95 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
[edit] Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.34 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.16 male(s)/female
total population: 1.21 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
[edit] Infant mortality rate
total: 12.4 deaths/1,000 live births male: 14.2 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
[edit] Life expectancy at birth
total:[3] 75.8 years male: 73.8 years female: 78.0 years (2007 est.)
[edit] Total fertility rate
3.94 children born/woman (2007 est.)
[edit] Urbanisation
About 88% of the population of Saudi Arabia is urban.
[edit] Nationality
noun: Saudi(s)
adjective: Saudi or Saudi Arabian
[edit] Ethnic groups
- See also: Iraqis in Saudi Arabia and Indonesians in Saudi Arabia
Arab 90%, other[specify] 10%
[edit] Religions
- See also: Islam in Saudi Arabia
Islam is the state religion. The percentage of Muslim citizens is virtually 99.7%.[citation needed] Sunnis represent approximately 85% while Shiites represent approximately 15% of the population.[4] Most Shiites live in the oil rich Eastern Province and are concentrated in some cities and villages such as Qatif, Hasa and Najran.
Languages: Arabic
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 78.8%
male: 84.8%
female: 70.8% (2003 est.)
[edit] References
- ^ Seok, Hyunho (1991). "Korean migrant workers to the Middle East". Migration to the Arab World: Experience of Returning Migrants: 56-103, United Nations University Press. ISBN 9280807455.
- ^ President Roh Moo-hyun's Official Visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Cheongwadae (Office of the President), Republic of Korea (2007). Retrieved on 2007-04-23.
- ^ a b CIA - The World Factbook. Saudi Arabia, People
- ^ Council on Foreign Relations. Shia Muslims in the Mideast
[edit] External links
- http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2002/14012.htm International Religious Freedom Report 2002
- http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2004/35507.htm International Religious Freedom Report 2004
- https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sa.html CIA World factbook 2005: Saudi Arabia
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